We are going big this Mother's Day and to celebrate we've teamed up with Hamish Powell, one of the leading voices in contemporary floristry.

To create the behemoth bouquet for our Mother's Day campaign, Hamish used 210 stems of flowers, 4 dissected plants, 200cm tall branches of quince blossom, and 100cm tall tulips from France:

"I knew I wanted to make something bigger than ever before. Luckily, spring offers us the perfect long-stemmed flowers for such a creation" he says.

Below, he takes us through his inspiration and why flowers and gifting are not just for Mother's Day, they are for everyone and of course, every day.

When did your interest in floristry begin?

I’m sure my attraction to plants is genetic; my dad is a farmer and my mum a gardener – this meant I was also always surrounded by plants growing up. However, it wasn’t until I got a part-time job during university, washing vases in a flower shop, that the idea of floristry entered my world.

How did your mother’s cottage garden shape you as a florist?

I owe a lot to my mum’s style of raising the kids. She somehow figured out ways to make any chore an enticing game, whether cleaning or cooking or, in this case, helping in the garden. This, combined with my effervescent childhood curiosity and a propensity for the outdoors meant that I absorbed all the planty knowledge I could.

If we wanted to create a seasonal bouquet for Mother’s Day, what should we use?

Narcissus from the Scilly Isles. That sounds like the title for a blockbuster period romance film, but it’s not, they’re just the most fragrant thing you’ll ever smell. I think it’s because the Scilly Isles have a special little microclimate, or there’s magic in the soil. Either way, it’s two birds with one stone: local produce and otherworldly scent.

Let’s look at some of the other ingredients I used in the Fenwick bouquet; where everything was a seasonal stem. Those French tulips are such a favourite; they last for more than two weeks and in that time just keep growing and getting blousier.

Mimosa! It’s so fantastic in that it looks almost identical when it dries. So even after everything has finished blooming, there’s still a bit of beauty to last forever.

You studied Ikebana early in your career, what is it about Japanese botanical culture that appeals to you?

I was very lucky to befriend a very sage mentor and ikebana tutor when I lived in Manchester. It blew mind my to learn that there could be such a rich and sacred tradition – that involved flowers – and suddenly it was accessible to me. I think what drew me to ikebana was the respect that flowers are given. Each stem is given the space to express itself, a ceremony that reminds us how incredible flowers are.

Which flowers always make an impression?

It depends on which impression you want to make! Shock? Joy? Amazement? Arousal? Calmness? There is certainly a different flower for each of these, however, there is one group of plants capable of evoking all of these emotions at once. They have been my muse ever since I wrote my university thesis on them: the Orchids. I even snuck two orchid plants into the huge bunch for Fenwick, I wonder if anyone will spot them.

What are your tips for making the most of the flowers?

You can make the most of the flowers, i.e. make them last longer, by following the classic trusted tips: changing their water often, regularly recutting stems, or keeping away from heat sources. Or you can approach it differently, and think how you can make the most of the flowers in their effect on you. A properly adored, rightfully worshipped bloom will contribute more to your life in a minute than an underappreciated bunch that lasts a week.

How do you balance colour and shapes in your creations?

I never studied any of the arts, let alone floristry. I used to be ashamed of this, that maybe I missed certain skills or knowledge that are required to be a reputable floral artist. But now I think that it has helped me; I never learnt any rules of design, shape, colour or balance. I’m left purely to follow my instinct, which is so important for uniqueness.

What flowers are on display in your home right now?

Very good question – usually what is in my home reflects the projects from that week. Often there will be leftovers or bits that are too bruised or damaged. Although they might be sad not to be included in one of my creations, I gleefully take them home for the dining table. Whenever I go to the flower market I can’t help myself from buying a treat-yourself bunch. After all, I am a florist because I love flowers, how could I resist?

What new directions are you excited to explore in your career?

For as long as I have been a florist, I have always tried to think of ways to capture the ephemerality of flowers. Poetry is a very big part of my expression, and flowers have always been a muse there. But recently I have been exploring mixed media drawings.

A piece I particularly like right now is a portrait of a Gloriosa lily, it started as an accident where some pollen fell from the lily and stained my canvas – I then embraced this and used the lily pollen as the main pigment for the portrait, accompanied by acrylic and oil pastel. I think this summer I’m going to work on some prints.